PLAINS – It was a basketball-athon, non-stop action virtually all day long, at the Tip-Off tournament in Plains Saturday as the high school basketball season officially began across Montana last week.

Plains rolled out the red carpet and welcomed visiting teams the Flathead Valley home-schooled Crusaders, the Ronan boys and girls JV and the Hot Springs Lady Savage Heat for a series of five games.

The Crusader girls kicked things off Saturday by defeating the Savage Heat 64-29, the Crusader boys then tripped up the homestanding Horsemen 74-56, followed by the Crusader girls returning to the court to register an exciting 39-36 come-from-behind win over the Trotters.

In the final games of the day, the Ronan JV held off the Horsemen 48-41, and the Trotters scored their first win of the season in running past the Maiden JV after that.

Playing their first game under new coach Brady Ovitt, the Hot Springs athletic director making his coaching debut for the Lady Savage Heat, Hot Springs was led by returning all-conference performer Kara Christensen, who bucketed 14 points to lead the Heat against Flathead Valley.

The Heat’s only senior, Christensen is doing a little bit of everything – handling the ball more, and rebounding and scoring as usual – to lead the young Heat squad this season.

Mackenzie Johnson added six points for Hot Springs, Eleanor Massey five and Kora Hensrude four.

Emi Ophheim scored a game-high 17 points for the Crusaders, Mia Candau scored 12, Tehlor Matiason 11 and Katlyn Burlingame eight.

The Crusader boys registered their win over the Horsemen behind the hot hand and strong inside/outside game of Patrick Bonner, who poured in a tournament-high 33 points to lead Flathead Valley in that game. Zeph Stutzman kicked in another 17 points for coach Mark Kenney’s Crusaders.

Playing energetic basketball for coach Tyrel Allen, the young, athletic Horsemen stayed with Flathead Valley most of the way, but the Crusaders built an early lead and managed to nurture that advantage and keep it in the end.

Jeff Siebert netted 15 points to lead the Horsemen in scoring, freshman Jackson Revier added nine points with a pair of 3-pointers thrown in, Eddie Siebert seven points, Tristan Allen and Jarrett Weeks six each, Chase DePoe (currently the only Hot Springs player on the Plains squad) five, Cooper Meredith four and Kylan Bostick and Cord Greer two apiece.

Allen substituted his players freely throughout the game, evidently searching for effective combinations of Horsemen in their first outing of the season. It’s a youth movement for the promising H-Men this season as Bostick is the only senior on the roster.

Although the Crusader girls appeared to be in control most of the way in the next game between Flathead Valley and the Trotters, coach Brooks Stanfords’s Trotters very nearly pulled off the come-from-behind win. Like their Horsemen counterparts, the Trotters sport a very young, promising roster with only one senior this season.

Trailing 23-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Trotters caught fire from the 3-point line at that point to make things very interesting, using treys bombed in by Reese Meredith, Mila Rivinius and Katelyn Subatch to suddenly tie the game at 23-23.

With the game tied 25-25, Meredith splashed another 3-pointer to put the Trotters ahead 28-25 with five minutes left. On their next trip down the floor, Subatch ripped another three from the left wing to make the score 31-26 Plains.

A little later, Ava Lawyer found Subatch with a fine assist under the basket and Subatch canned the short shot, then Subatch fed Meredith an assist for another two points to give the Trotters their biggest lead at 35-28 with under four minutes remaining. Trotter Karissa French converted one of two free throws after that to make the score 36-30.

Unfortunately for the home team, the visiting Crusaders rallied for the win, finally taking the lead for good on a two-point basket followed by a free throw by Opheim at 38-36, and Candau made one of two charity tosses after that for the final scoring in Flathead Valley’s exciting 39-36 victory.

Playing for Crusader coach Max Opheim, Emi Opheim finished with a game-high 17 points for the visitors, Matiason added 14.

Plains’ only senior, Subatch led the Trotters with 16 points, Meredith added eight (all in the fourth quarter), Rivinius seven, Jaycee Carr and Lawyer two each, and French one.

In the next game of the day, the Ronan JV boys broke open a tight game with the Horsemen with a 15-5 win of the third quarter and held on from there for the 48-41 victory.

Weeks lit up the Chiefs from the outside to pace Plains scoring, shooting down six 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 20 points, Jeff Siebert added seven, Cooper Meredith five, DePoe and Revier three each and Eddie Siebert two.

Chase Collicott scored 16 points and Xavier St. Clair 12 for Ronan.

The Trotters defeated the Maiden JV to wrap up play in the 2025 Plains Tip-Off tourney.

Sophomore Hadyn Rice exploded for a career-high 19 points to pace the Trotter win, Subatch threw in 12, Lawyer 11, Rivinius eight, Carr four and Emery Josephson one.

Scoring for the Maiden JV was not available.

Plains’ next games are boys and girls contests in Plains with Darby Friday and in Missoula with Loyola Tuesday, December 16.

A Plains High School alumnus now working at Hot Springs, coach Ovitt and his Savage Heat have three home games on tap this week, hosting Arlee Thursday, Victor Saturday and St. Regis December 16.

    HIGH RELEASE, Plains sophomore Jarrett Weeks gets off a shot against Flathead Valley during action in the Plains Tip-Off tourney Saturday. Weeks scored 20 points, including six 3-pointers in Plains’ game with the Ronan JV later Saturday. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)
  

    SAVAGE HEAT SENIOR Kara Christensen takes a shot at the basket during action in the Plains Tip-Off tournament Saturday. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)
  

    HOT SPRINGS SOPHOMORE Chase DePoe, currently the only active Hot Springs player on the Plains roster, jumps high on a shot attempt against Flathead Valley in Plains Saturday. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)
  

    HOT SPRINGS SOPHOMORE Kora Hensrude in action against Flathead Valley in Plains Saturday. (John Hamilton/vp-mi)